# Puff Monthly Tobacco Review: GL Pease Union Square (August 2012)



## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

August is here, time to pop those tins of Union Square! All reviews, questions/comments to reviewers, and other relevant conversation about GLP Union Square go right here! Discussion about voting, nominations, banter, etc go in the voting thread.

Hop to it, gentlemen! Let's see some reviews! :thumb:


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## Tailchaser (Dec 1, 2011)

I'll go first. 
Popped the tin. Tin aroma like sweet hay with a little tang and it seems very moist. I rubbed it out and let it dry for a while. 
My first pipe required several relights. Perhaps I didnt let it dry enough.
It is a very good Virgnia with a solid natural foundation and very little bite.
I like it!


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## MontyTheMooch (May 27, 2012)

I just opened a tin the other day. I've only had a single bowl so far, but really enjoyed it. I'll post an actual review some time this week after a couple more bowls.


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

I was looking forward to my morning smoke this morning because....I'm off. Patio, lemonade, kindle, dogs playing tug of war with each other....perfect.

Union Square - to my nose - has that sweet VA smell and a bit of tobacco as well. In short, it smells great. Rubbed it out some and packed my bowl, charred/lit things, and set to it. "Queen" Cersei is still looking for her brother Tyrion, and ****** was .....oh yeah - tobacco, not my book. The tobacco packed and lit very easily, although it initially took a bit of fiddling. Once I got it going though, it was an easy smoke to keep running. It was dry enough, although it gurgled a bit mid-bowl - more an artifact of my pipe than the tobacco, as it is wont to do so. 

This was the first tobacco for which I can honestly say I could detect a room note. Since I usually smoke heavier English blends I can't really tell much. Not so the case with Union Square. I can't say that it was the greatest note for all that, but I would venture that it smells a hell of a lot better than half and half, which my dad smokes constantly. The flavor profile was a bit of a surprise to me, as Union Square delivered tobacco flavors and a bit of a peppery retrohale. I am used to getting a bit of sweetness from VAs, but that sweetness was not particularly evident, even when I slowed the smoke WAYYYYYY down. It burned very easily though, and the smoke was consistent and pleasant.

The only problem was that I was expecting more in the complexity department. I guess that I am just used to more in that area. I wonder if the sweetness that I associate with VAs is from a dressing perhaps? It just wasn't there with this smoke. I got a bit of a peppery bite - almost like a "perique-lite." This added another dimension to the tobacco, and was not at all unwelcome.

Overall, Union Square is a rewarding smoke with quality tobacco. It lacks in depth and complexity (to my palate) but its consistency and quality make it a relaxing morning smoke. I think that it would be good after a heavy meal as it doesn't overwhelm the senses with a lot of different flavors. I would term it a medium strength tobacco, no more. 

Not too strong, not too complex - there is absolutely a spot for this in my rotation. I would be interested in comparing it alongside other full Virginias before I really settle on it though.
Loaded up my saucer with


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Desertlifter said:


> Loaded up my saucer with...


:spy: Where'd he go!? You okay, Brian? :shock:

Really liked that review...at least installment number one. Can't wait to see what the saucer has in store.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Okay, time to confess that my main problem doing reviews (other than lack of tobacco experience) is that I just don't speak "tobacco" that well. So, I'll use the language I'm used to: jazz.

Union Square is, along with HOTW, a major portion of my smoking, so in case there's any doubt, I like it. A lot. In fact, I like most Virginias I've tried, just some more than others. Union Square is at or near the top of the list. 

I'll admit, my first experience with this blend was a bit shakey; it was early in my smoking journey, and waiting six months was not an option, and the taste didn't come through that well for me. In addition, it lacked the sweetness that I was used to getting from other Virginias. However, there was enough there to interest me, so I kept going. Once I got to the point of smoking six month old tins, the taste problem was solved. Union Square has an extremely clean taste; I won't go as far as to say it's simple; it's not. But it doesn't have the cacaphony of a blend like Opening Night. Sweetness was still an issue, but having smoked a three year old tin last month, I know that this is also just a matter of time. At three years, Union Square has morphed into a very sweet tobacco. It's the kind of sweet I used to get as a kid when I'd pull up a grass shoot and chew on it. (Why did I quit that; it was one of life's great simple pleasures! Darn maturity...) Taste has also grown. I can't speak as to things like 'smoothing off the rough edges', as Union Square never had any rough edges for me.

Union Square is very strong in the mid-range, and in fact totally dominates there. Bass is lacking somewhat, but with this flavor, it just isn't needed. The high end is also dominated by the midrange, but in such a way that I don't mind. If you compare HOTW to hard bop, say Art Blakey when he had the front line of Shorter and Morgan, then Union Square shows up more laid back, with a serious Bill Evans vibe. Just absolutely cool. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

(By the way, in the jazz analogy, the other tobacco mentioned, Opening Night, I haven't classified yet. It's either Armstrong's Hot Fives, or Peter Brotzmann. Time will tell.)


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

MarkC said:


> Okay, time to confess that my main problem doing reviews (other than lack of tobacco experience) is that I just don't speak "tobacco" that well. So, I'll use the language I'm used to: jazz.
> 
> (By the way, in the jazz analogy, the other tobacco mentioned, Opening Night, I haven't classified yet. It's either Armstrong's Hot Fives, or Peter Brotzmann. Time will tell.)


Great review! Nice to see that some of my impressions are matched by someone more experienced than I am.

Brotzmann Quartet? Brilliant savagery!


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## MontyTheMooch (May 27, 2012)

*Initial Impressions:* Upon opening the tin I was confronted with a broken flake tobacco that had a mild coppery/red ketchup smell to it. I've had tins of other tobaccos that had a very heavy ketchup smell to them so this wasn't a detractor for me.

*Packing:* As I've come to be a fan of flake tobaccos I usually tend to go more with the 'fold and stuff' method rather than rubbing out. This tobacco made that easy as it wasn't too wet nor too dry. It was right on the middle where the fold stuck together long enough to get into the pipe then relaxed a bit for easier lighting.

*Smoking:* I've had three bowls of Union Square so far. One in a meer, and in two different briars. The first bowl (in the meer) smoked absolutely beautifully and was all that I wanted out of a tobacco. It was rich and flavorful with a good quantity of smoke and you got a good feel for the flavor. Smoking in my briars though was an altogether different experience. I found the flavor washed out, thin, and tinny and it left a heavy copper taste in my mouth. So much so that I actually checked to see if I had bitten my tongue and was bleeding. After adjusting the pack and the light on them I managed to get it to settle down a bit and come back to a more flavorful smoke, but it was never as good as that first bowl in the meer. All three times I was able to smoke the bowl almost all the way to the dottle. You never really get all the way through because the moisture soaks everything at the bottom though.

*Overall:* I found Union Square to be a nice blend that, using Mark's analogy, in the right pipe does come through well in the mid-range, but focuses more on the high. There's not much in the low-ranges to anchor this tobacco in my opinion. It's kind of like listening to the chipmunks sing your favorite song. You know the words and the music, but the pitch just isn't where you want it to be and it takes something away from the performance. I fully plan on smoking the rest of the tin as it's not a bad blend by any sense of the word. I just need to become more familiar about it and how it plays. I have to get the stage set right for the music to better come out.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

I had mine in a cob, and found it to be the average Virginia. Not an average relating to quality, but the average of the Virginias I have smoked. It had all the flavors, the dark earth bittersweet and the bright grainy honey sweet but it just didn't stand out at either end the way others have. I enjoyed it and thank Desertliter for sharing but I think I am drawn to the ones with more pronounced flavor at the moment.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Desertlifter said:


> Brotzmann Quartet? Brilliant savagery!


Someone here knows Brotzmann? Okay, then I'll explain that comment: Opening Night either reminds me of early jazz (with multiple soloists all going at it at the same time) or Brotzmann (one soloist going absolutely batshit at full speed).


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

MarkC said:


> Someone here knows Brotzmann? Okay, then I'll explain that comment: Opening Night either reminds me of early jazz (with multiple soloists all going at it at the same time) or Brotzmann (one soloist going absolutely batshit at full speed).


Not as much as I'd like, but I dabble (Brotzmann, that is),

Personally, I would compare the Brotzmann quartet to smoking SG Black Twist while getting an epinephrine shot.


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## MontyTheMooch (May 27, 2012)

Desertlifter said:


> Not as much as I'd like, but I dabble (Brotzmann, that is),
> 
> Personally, I would compare the Brotzmann quartet to smoking SG Black Twist while getting an epinephrine shot.


On an empty stomach....


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

Brian (Desertlifter) was kind enough to share a bit of Union Square with me for this month's review. I jarred it immediately when I received it, and didn't open it until it was time to review (~2 weeks, give or take?)

Medium chocolate brown, uniform color, broken flake at an average moisture level. The smell in the jar caught me off guard, so I had my 9 year old check it as well. His assessment - "Hmm! Raisins? And something else. Smells pretty good!". What I smelled was a sweet fermented fruit scent (raisins is pretty close) up front and also a slight hint of hearty grain. Ok, short answer - it smells like raisin bran. Yes, really.

The fruity-raisin flavor doesn't carry over to the smoke at all for me, though. But the cereal grain flavor does. Tobacco-Wheaties. I also get a flavor that I pick up with nearly all straight Virginias....it sort of reminds me of a cup of hot tea, but that's not quite right...I dunno, just a "Virginia" taste LOL. If I'm really really patient and really really careful, I can coax a good bit of sweetness out of it. And if I abuse it, I _can_ get a little bite out of it, but I didn't find it to be particularly bitey. I don't know how old this is, as it was a sample I got in trade, but I suspect it's not terribly old, and I suspect it will show improvement with age. Nicotine level is no higher than medium.

Overall, a decent middle of the road straight Virginia. If that's your forte, you might just love this stuff as much as MarkC. I think it's pretty good for what it is, but medium straight Virginias aren't really my favorite style, and so I probably won't be buying this one again.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Desertlifter said:


> Not as much as I'd like, but I dabble (Brotzmann, that is),
> 
> Personally, I would compare the Brotzmann quartet to smoking SG Black Twist while getting an epinephrine shot.


I remember once when my ex came home from work to me passed out on the couch with (I think) More Nipples blaring at high volume on the stereo. She assumed I was dead...


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

One last comment before this thread becomes 'last month's thread', I was really impressed with the reviews here. Every single one nails this blend. You don't see that at TobaccoReviews.com, that's for sure.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

I had a long review, all ready to post a week or two ago, but alas, I spasticated with the mouse and lost it all. sigh. I'm pretty much with Clifford, right down the line, so nothing really new to add, except maybe the smell of figs. I'm going with Fig Newtons. Maybe mine was a bit older. It smokes very well, to be sure, and I never had any bite from it at all. I tried it in a few different pipes, with various preps, and I certainly wouldn't turn my nose up at a bowl, but it could be a bit "nice" for me, like a ritzy cocktail party instead of a barstool smoke. (Yeah, you can't sit on a barstool and smoke any more very many places, but I hope some of you empathize with the nostalgic reference.) 

I think I like my VAs mixed with something, say burley, perique or some kickass rope, so the refined pleasures of smoking a straight, mild-medium VA no doubt are lost on my blunt palette. I have rather a lot of similar VAs cellared, so I doubt I will be getting more. 

I'll post this quick, before it vanishes.


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

Great review, Jim! Dried fruit and some kind of grain - you called it Fig Newtons, and I called it Raisin Bran, but I'd our tastes ran pretty darned close!


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## BigKev77 (Feb 16, 2008)

Desertlifter and gahdzilla were pretty good for me. I do get that pepper note. In fact the last time I smoked it I was afraid I had gotten my Union Square and LNF labeled lids confused. I like the tobacco but it doesn't really stand out for me. I will say this tobacco gets much better with age age and age. Of course all VA's do but this one really needed it to me.

Sorry so late on this review. I need to do some catching up.


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